Beverages such as beer and soda are commonly made available to consumers in beverage bottles. Beer is preferably kept refrigerated prior to consumption, since most consumers prefer to drink cold beer. Although a beverage bottle is a convenient container to distribute the beverage to consumers, the beverage within the bottle quickly warms after it has been removed from its refrigerated or cooled environment.
Heat transfer from the environment to the contents of the container occur in different ways. One significant mode of heat transfer is by conduction. If an object having a higher temperature than the beverage contacts the bottle, heat transfer will occur, thus warming the beverage within the bottle. It is well known that when a consumer holds a beverage bottle, heat will be conducted from the consumer's hand to the bottle, and the beverage will quickly warm. Other modes of heat transfer can also occur, such as heat transfer by convection from the surrounding air, or heat transfer by radiation from exposure to sunlight.
In order to address the problem of heat transfer with respect to beverage bottles, there are a number of references that provide various means to insulate a beverage container in order to reduce heat transfer, and maintain the beverage at a desired temperature. One reference includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,567. This reference discloses an elongated sheet of cross-linked polyethylene foam which can be imprinted with conventional printing inks. The foam sheet is wrapped around the surface of the container to be insulated. A strip of adhesive is used to connect the ends of the foam sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,281 discloses an insulating label comprising a layer of ink placed on the face of a paper stock substrate, and an adhesive layer disposed on the backside of the paper stock substrate. A thin, waterproof layer of foam is attached to the adhesive layer of the paper stock substrate. The printed face of the label is protected by a clear film or coating. The label can be used either as an aftermarket wrap, or as a label that is an integral part of the container as it is produced from the manufacturer.
Other references that disclose labels with insulating characteristics include the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,792,536 and 4,889,234.
Although labels having insulation features are known, there is still a need to provide an insulating label that is inexpensive to manufacture, and can be easily secured to the container when shipped from the manufacturer. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a label that does not substantially alter the appearance or size of the container. It is also desirable to provide insulation in a manner that does not detract from the artwork or printing on the label.